‘800s’ begin testing for LNER East Coast Main Line trains

TESTING of Class 800s continues ahead of their introduction with LNER, with visits to Cambridge, Skipton and Hull at the end of May and the start of June.

These were followed by trips to Glasgow before running to Carlisle and the Tyne Valley. Aberdeen and Inverness have also been visited by Class 800/2s during mid-June.

The Hitachi Rail Intercity Express Programme trains will be introduced into passenger traffic from December ( RAIL 854), initially serving Leeds and Hull.

Their duties will expand as more sets become available, with ten due in traffic by the end of March.

The trip to Cambridge was part of the Network Rail project to gauge-clear the trains on diversionary routes, while the other two destinations needed similar work ahead of the new trains entering service. All work used fivecar bi-modes 800201 and 800202 operating in a ten-car formation.

Meanwhile, the latest Class 800/1s for LNER to be delivered to the UK are 800105/107. The nine-car bi-modes were delivered from Kasado (Japan) directly to Doncaster Carr, following the path of 800103, which is being used for main line testing and crew training. LNER Azumas currently in the UK are 800101/103/105/107, 800201/202, 801101/102, 801201.

On the Great Western Railway Intercity Express Train fleet, the latest to be delivered to North Pole depot for mileage accumulation is 800306. It arrived at the west London depot on June 1, having left Hitachi’s Doncaster facility, where GWR nine-cars 800307-309 remain for commissioning.

At Newton Aycliffe, 800313 and 800314 have been released for testing ahead of their move

to Doncaster. Also at the County Durham site is 800310.

Two driving cars from 800001/002 have been moved to Wabtec Rail, Doncaster, for refitting internally and wrapping in GWR livery. They were replaced by new-build vehicles in the original ‘800/0s’, with 800001 dispatched to GWR and its classmate 800002 due to follow.

The refitted driving vehicles will be formed in 800311/312, recently delivered to Newton Aycliffe.

CHRIS PLAYFAIR. On May 29, 800201/202 visited Hull, running via Gilberdyke, Selby & Brough for gauging tests. The ‘800s’ then ran to Leeds to check Platforms 6 and 7, before heading to Lincoln Central. Once testing was complete, the ‘800s’ returned to Doncaster, where they had started their journey. On May 29, the ‘800s’ stand at Hull.

CHRIS PLAYFAIR. On June 5, The Azuma Operations Interface Team left Edinburgh at 2230, bound for Glasgow Central to gauge asset Platforms 1 and 10, before running south to Carlisle (calling at Motherwell on the way). This was the first visit of an Azuma on the West Coast Main Line. Early on June 6, 800202 and 800201 arrive at Carlisle’s Platform 4. They then ran to Hitachi’s Doncaster Carr depot via the Tyne Valley Line.